That Scent
by erinsailorditz
Summary: Spicy. Warm. All him. That man's cologne was haunting her, though Lily's one night with him was long over. Sweet. Floral. All her. Was that her perfume James just smelt drifting by? Cute Oneshot. Slight AU


Disclaimer: Don't own, honestly don't wish to. Only borrowing characters.

**---**

**That Scent**

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_Spicy. Warm. Heaven. _

All him.

Lily's eyes closed briefly as she caught the sudden smell. Her mouth opened with a small gasp and her hands gripped the soft lapels of her coat. She knew that rich scent. The delicious smell was burnt in her memory. Which she knew for certain, having spent an entire evening swarmed in it herself and could not be free of it. An entire night trapped in that cologne, encircled in those arms.

Lily jerked and was suddenly thrown into reality the same moment the underground train jerked to a halt. Bodies sauntered in and out, pressing in on her from every side. Seeing an open seat Lily quickly made to obtain it but a Goth teen beat her to her goal and had the nerve to stick a pierced tongue out to her. Affronted, Lily fought the urge to return the gesture and sadly returned to her pathetic, original spot, grabbing the silver pole tight.

Resting her forehead against the coolness, she once again wished this ride was done with. Looking up, she counted three more stops till she was able to return to her beloved flat.

_Hot skin. Firm strokes. Endless gazes._

Lily groaned, then noticed the elderly lady sitting nearby giving her a sudden look and bit the sound sharply. Why was she now thinking of that buried memory? Five months later? Oh yes, because of that forbidden smell.

She sighed and ran her hands down her outfit. Would she ever be forgetting that night?

As that familiar male essence drifted by her again, she knew the answer.

Never.

Lily shook herself mentally. _In the past, girl. Over and done with. Won't ever happen again. Was a great moment, so now move on. _

Yet her stomach dropped painfully and her heart ached. Who was she trying to kid?

Herself.

And failing terribly.

Lily, being the silly romantic, had envisioned many happy endings with that sculpted man. Where they would fall in love, spend many hours reliving their first and only hot night together.

_Oh, buggar,_ she thought. Think of other things. Get the mind onto different matters. Forget is what is she needed-

"No. What you need, mate, is a great shag from a random stranger."

Lily scoffed, disgusted at what she just heard behind her. _When will this end,_ she grumbled to herself as the underground train jostled to another stop, almost sending her into the vocal men behind her. She gripped the metal pole tighter, and would not allow herself to bump into the people, especially during the certain conversation they were having, dreading the chance they would think her the perfect stranger. Bloody hell.

"I'm afraid that's what got him into this mess from the beginning, Pad."

"Ugh, you're such a stupid twat. I'm telling you, I smell it. Can't you?"

Lily raised her eyes at that. What in Merlin's beard was that loon talking-

"No. Since, you know, we never actually spent the amazing night with the mysterious woman. That was all you, mate. Except now, I'm wondering if there was...actually a woman."

Lily blushed. This was just too close to joke. She smacked her hand against her forehead, ignoring the young boy giving her strange looks and demanded to forget her mysterious man. She smiled softly. _James..._

_Dark. Strong. Incredibly sexy. And his fingers could do that little-_

"She could be on this very train. Do you think that's her? Down there, sitting at the end?"

Lily growled, fighting the temptation to turn around and look herself. How loud did these men need to be? She couldn't hear herself think about her fantasy lover. For Merlin's sake, could they just shut-

"Oh, bloody hell, she's noticed you staring-"

"That woman is a brunette. You had said your lady friend was a redhead."

"-and she's giving you a look. Is that mace in her hand?"

Lily suddenly froze. The man directly behind her had just groaned deeply and she knew _that_ sound. She was indeed pathetic; only recognizing her brilliant man by the near-to sexual grunts he made, not by his very clear voice. Sex-starved. Yup.

But the cologne, that smell haunting her... it _was_ coming from him! The mysterious, one night-stand, sexy, gorgeous stranger was next to her. James! The real live man!

Oh, no! She stopped. Nervousness settled in. She nibbled on her lip. What to do, what to do? She had no idea! Obviously she couldn't turn to him and jump into his arms-

"Okay, not her, but enough joking. Bloody hell," he swore, "it's killing me. I'll never forget that woman or her smell. You pricks just don't understand-"

"-that she was a goddess-"

"-you two had amazing sex together-"

"-a true tigress in bed-"

"We know! You've told us two times _and_ a million."

Or maybe she could run into his arms. Lily giggled. Or at least jump him. Oh hell, bad thought. Resist urge.

Lily fingered her curls anxiously. How badly she wanted to turn around, yet did not. She desperately wanted the man, James, to know she felt the same way. Though she had no way of knowing what his reaction would be.

Oh goodness, now that she thinking about it, she really knew nothing of him _at all_! Just that he had loved her hands running through his hair. That he absolutely adored her red hair, for he had said so. That he had a deep, addicting laugh. That his fingers could do that little-

_That's it! _She jumped to the dark dressed boy from earlier, wondering faintly if he would stab her with his many sharp piercings and squeezed next to him. She yanked his pen and notebook he had been doodling in.

"What in sodding hell do you think you're-" he growled.

Lily glared at the punk, blushing, and said, "Fair payback for stealing my seat, kid."

"Lady, I was here first-"

Lily just ignored him, her heart fluttering as she tried to keep her head down, and her mouth from declaring her love.

---

The train jerked to a halt and James was jostled from behind. As he staggered, he strangely felt pressure near his pocket and distinct curves directly against his back. Then he heard the soft, sultry murmur, "Oh, pardon me, James."

He suddenly choked and swiveled around to see a quick flash of red slipping through the closing subway doors. He rushed to the windows and unconsciously hit the glass.

"No!"

There was an ache in James' voice. He could faintly hear Sirius and Remus join beside him, asking him questions. But soon everything faded out.

It was her.

The woman was standing on the platform staring at him, smiling. Something in his belly curiously shifted as he gazed at her, and he remembered all the things she could do to him when he had been able to touch her. _She was pure magic._

Looking tiny in smuggle clothes, wearing fitting jeans and a snug, emerald sweater, she was a vision. A dark green beanie sat upon her head with matching gloves that encased her child-like hands, and he saw her raise one, waving. Cute came to his mind. Then he noticed brown, knee high-heeled boots and a leather coat that came to her thighs and changed his mind quick. His body tightened. Cute did not do her justice. Sexy is what she really was.

Those emerald eyes twinkled as she watched him watching her. It was a sexual, burning moment; to be so highly aware the other was tracing them.

So when Lily held fingers to her plump lips, kissing them lightly before blowing it to him, she knew exactly what she was doing. _Little minx..._

James groaned. She laughed as he pushed closer against the doors, and James wished he could hear the sound he bet would be close to an angel singing. Oh, and to be able to feel those addicting curves again, hearing her moans... She was gorgeous, she was beautiful.

She was...just beyond his touch.

"No!"

James growled as he searched around the sealed to doors to see if there was a way out, any way to her. When finding none, he slammed his hands against the exit, frantic. "Lily!"

Her hair had grown longer and it fell in shimmering waves. As the train began to move away, those red tresses whipped around her face, giving tantalizing glimpses of her glowing orbs. The very same, stormy ocean eyes that could penetrate deep into his chocolate ones. The very same ones that had held him in a daze as the world dropped beneath them, their tangled bodies reaching the heavens above in silky sheets.

James desperately kept her in his view until he could no more. His heart squeezed.

Defeated, he dropped to a seat, cursing. He threw his head against the cold glass behind him, angry at himself. The woman, Lily, had been there _all along_! So close.

And now so gone. Once more.

"Unfair," he murmured.

"Aw, mate, that rots something terrible," Remus consoled.

James only nodded and jammed his fists into his jeans, staring at the lights that flashed by across the other side of windows.

"She was real," Sirius mused.

"And she had remembered me," James whispered. His head fell into his hands and he groaned. If only he glanced behind him, if only he just... James sighed.

If only they were never parted from the beginning. Feeling a firm hand on his shoulder, James looked up to Sirius.

"I'm sorry, Prongs. I bet you're feeling horrible. But don't worry. The sun will come out again. Tomorrow, hopefully... Is that your scarf?"

"What?" James glanced where he pointed and saw a green scarf hanging out of his jacket pocket. Faintly wondering how he missed it, he gingerly pulled it before him. Immediately sure who it belonged to, James brought it to his face and he inhaled the warm wool.

_Sweet. Floral. Pleasure. _

All her.

He had assumed the perfume had only been haunting him. Hell! If he'd realized the scent was real, and was coming from _her_, that his own imagination and desires had not simply made it up...

Oh, in seconds James' would have had her in his arms, snogging her senseless, capturing her air, using fingers to do that little-

"James."

He jerked and looked to Remus and Sirius. Their faces were turned to the ground. A white slip of paper was fluttering to the floor.

It was a note... Adjusting his glasses higher on his nose, he picked it up and read,

_Hullo James,_

_I seem to have lost my scarf..._

_Return it to me?_

_I'll be forever indebted._

A grin appeared on his face as he saw an address at the bottom of the parchment. She was only blocks from his own flat. Fate indeed!

He whooped and jumped to his feet, throwing his fist into the air...which startled an older woman nearby. James quickly apologized as she muttered something darkly beneath her breath, and turned sharp to his mates.

"It's hers. It's Lily's scarf!"

Sirius raised a hand to his heart. "Oh, thank Merlin! I was dreading in thinking that frilly thing was yours."

"Shut up, wanker. But don't you realize! It's hers! Lily's!"

"Yes, we got that part. Now, you will soon get to relive that amazing night with plenty of hot shagging. Way to go-"

The three of them abruptly turned to see the sudden grandmother stand and turn a disgusted look away before limping to another seat, far from them.

"I think we frightened her."

"Well, Moony, why don't you go say sorry with your own hot, steamy-" Sirius ducked.

Ignoring them, James raised the scarf once again to his face, his eyes closing. That scent. That intoxicating fragrance. He had spent countless nights with dreams filled with it. Opening his hazel eyes, he grinned. He'd be soon spending endless nights with the real thing, he could feel it.

"Prongs, will you please stop smelling that thing?"

James laughed. "I'm sorry, Pad. I can't get enough."

His friends merely grinned in understanding, slapping him on the back as they steered him through the exit of the train. His own foolish grin couldn't disappear but his sense of direction was apparently lost.

"Yup. Told you boys I smelt her," he said, laughter erupting as joy filled his strong body.

"James, stop. You sound like a dog and Remus, here, is the one with that problem." Sirius pointed out.

"You as well, my furry friend," Remus countered.

"Proud of it, Moony, don't mistake that. It'd be a crying shame not to be able to wag a tail, but then...I could do without the sodding fleas-"

James, in his own world, suddenly shot his hands into the air. "We're going to have lots of sex! And have lots of children! Then...we're getting married."

"I believe you have it in the wrong order, James."

"And he's not listening to us," concluded Sirius. "Alright Prongs, whatever you want, as long as I'm the bleeding godfather."

James faintly nodded, smiling as he pulled the emerald scarf to his face.

_Sweet. Fresh. Vanilla._

That scent was all hers.

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the end.

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A sequel is now in works.

erinsailorditz


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